Fujitsu SA is positioning itself to expand its involvement in the national and local government sector in this country, claiming there are several projects in the pipeline.
The group recently appointed Stephen Floyd as head of core services, to lead the roll-out of Fujitsu`s core services model in SA and grow its local customer base. One of his key focus areas, says Floyd, will be to take advantage of government`s drive for improved IT services and solutions.
Fujitsu says it has installed its Promis software at 122 local municipalities, representing a 40% market share of local government billing and treasury systems.
Promis software provides the accounting features required in the municipal environment, is fully compliant with Generally Accepted Municipal Accounting Practices (GAMAP) and is able to interface with external packages, it says. The solution also covers financial applications to streamline billing, credit control and financial management.
Building on the strength of government projects in the UK, where its biggest customer is the National Health Service, Fujitsu has a "toe-hold" in the local government sector in SA, says Floyd.
Smart customers
"Local government is dealing with an ever-increasing number of smart customers and is having to address the needs of more demanding ratepayers," he says.
The products aimed at government include customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning solutions, which enhance the understanding of customer demands, as well as government`s business needs, Floyd notes.
He adds that some of the main challenges of dealing with government are the long time scales and approval periods for projects and contracts, but says the South African government is recognising the challenge and is putting the right people in place.
Msunduzi, formerly Pietermaritzburg Municipality, has gone live with a new e-government system from Fujitsu. The municipality, which receives 80% of its revenue from 20 big industrial customers, now e-mails accounts to customers, sends bulk SMS messages, and has completed a "banking" hall.
This means customers are no longer required to go from one department to another if they wish to address different queries as everything is done at one desk in the banking hall.
Electronic workflow
Fujitsu business consulting manager Louisa Brand says the company has also implemented an electronic workflow system for the flow of documents to and from lawyers.
Msunduzi is now able to determine the exact status of legal documentation, something that was previously difficult to ascertain.
"We have also drawn on the experience of our parent company in the UK, Fujitsu Services, which has implemented extensive local government systems throughout Europe," says Brand.
"Within the next few years, the majority of municipalities will move towards a more paperless environment, providing convenience to the customer and enhancing internal efficiencies. Workflow will grow in use, eliminating bottlenecks, and further speeding up processes."
Fujitsu is developing an open graphical user interface that will be available to municipalities within three months, giving a Windows look and feel to all its applications.
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